Kakeidoscope

Finished quilting this for Melanie. Didn't she do a great job with her top. Great wall-hanging.

Springville Retreat

My new flimsy from the retreat.

Springville Retreat with Linda Ballard

Awesome weekend with friends and new acquaintances. What a great group of ladies. Catered meals. Linda Ballard for a teacher. Sewing for three days and a beautiful new flimsy. Hope it doesn't stay on my to be quilted pile for too long.

Part Five

Part five of Ripples and Reflections is the easiest of the blocks so far. Create a square in a square with the green batiks and than surround with magenta. But wait, you get to make 16 of these 7 1/2" blocks.

Moving on to work on part 6.

Part Four

Part four of Ripples and Reflections is the mostly olive blocks. Four of these finish at 7 1/2" each.

My blocks are suppose to be on point, which they are, except in this picture.

Part three

Moving along now to Part three, called the mostly magenta block. Love the blue/magenta floral batik in the center. There are 4 of this block, 10 1/2" square.

Part Two

Block two of Ripples and Reflections is a beauty with the contrast of light blue and magenta. You make 4 of these blocks and each measure 10 1/2.

First Part of BOM

The first part of the BOM is the center block, measures 10 1/2. Looks pretty good.

New BOM

Yes, I have been busy at the longarm and just as busy at the sewing machine.

Currently, I am working on Ripples and Reflections, a BOM using hoffman fabrics. Trying to get a sample top done before end of the month for Calico Mermaid in Porterville.

BQ 2 with a panel

Love the BQ2 pattern and I wanted to try something different. I took a panel of French Ladies from Loralie Designs and cut them out of the panel. The block for the BQ2 measures 9 1/2" but the French Ladies measure less. So, because the blocks aren't square on the panel, I added hot pink strips measuring 1 1/2" on the sides and 2" strips on the top and bottom. Using my 9 1/2" ruler I squared up the wonky blocks making an uneven sashing. I added pink with black dots that I was saving for another quilt (but had never made.... LOL) and a black swirl that was leftover backing from another quilt to finish out the pattern. My plan is only to make 12 blocks (unless I change my mind), so there will be 3 squares leftover, maybe potholders or something else.

Spicy Spiral Table Runner

I have had the Spicy Spiral Table Runner pattern and 9 degree ruler for many years. It is sooooo fun. It goes together with only 8 fat quarters OR 8 one-fourth yards. You start with cutting each fabric a different width according to the pattern chart, assembling 4 identical strip sets, and cutting wedges of different lengths. The wedges are assembled from smallest to largest from two colorways to make this lovely tablerunner. I see many of these in my future.

I will be teaching this class at Calico Mermaid on Weds., Sept. 7th.

Summer Months WEEK 2

Week two saw me back at the Central Coast for four days with six of my teacher friends to honor a friend who had just earned her doctrate after 2 long years of study from USC. We traveled in three cars, stopped at a winery that had great balsamic vinegar, and ate lunch in Morro Bay with a view of Morro Rock and the ocean. We stayed in another friend's rental home in Grover Beach that sleeps 14, so there was privacy as well as great comradery. Half the grouped hiked up a trail at Montana de Oro, while three of us (one was me) sat at the beach and enjoyed a picnic. When we met up again we all walked the flat trail along the shoreline. Great trip for all and now we are hoping to make this an annual event. Lots of ideas floating around for next year's trip.

No quilt shopping for me but in the evening I worked on an applique piece as we set around and visited and played games. I had taken a freezer paper technique applique class at Totally Tina's in Porterville and was trying very hard to complete the hand sewn piece. (I am such a machine-applique girl.) I used scraps from my stash and the border is a batik. I quilted around the hand sewn applique using a free-motion badger blossom throughout the piece. Cute pattern.

Summer Months

Wow! Time has flown by...summer has come and gone...school has begun...and I am currently off work (after the first week of a new school year) due to a foot infection.
But let me degress and tell you of my summer months - best quilting summer ever!
The first week of vacation myself and three friends participated in the Central Coast Shop Hop, 11 stores with food, prizes, and fabric. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Grover Beach (free breakfast and coffee) and traveled as far south as Ventura and started in Paso Robles. We added a few of our favorite stores, love Creation Station in Buellton, so I believe our final count was 19 stores in three days. Yes, we were tired but each store was so unique. This shop hop features a complete quilt pattern from each store on the hop and this year, they were available online in advance of the hop so you could concetrate on your selections. Here is a link to the patterns: http://www.quiltshopsofthecentralcoast.com
Two stores were closing down, The Treasure Hunt in Carpenteria and The Fabric Quarter in Goleta, both awesome stores that will be missed, so there were some great bargains to be had.
I won one of the baskets (a styrofoam ice chest) filled with fabrics, books, patterns, and notions. First time ever!

Heart of the Valley Shop Hop 2010

Monday evenings, three friends and I have been working on the blocks from last year's shop hop. Finally finished all the blocks, put them on point, and made my first ever scalloped border. My mother-in-law likes to put binding on by hand so she added the finishing touches. Definitely a gem. Finished size 80 X 80.

Catching up for April

I am so sorry I missed posting in April. I have been busy quilting and will catch everything up over the next few days.

Two pics to show tonite: My April Hole in the Barn and my Guild theme quilt.

My April Hole in the Barn is a 12.5" block with a 6.5 inch star center.

My theme center now measures 33.75" square. I love the scrappy golds.

I finished my red, white, and blue Central Valley Shop Hop quilt with my first ever scalloped edge. Picture to follow later this week.

HGTV Hole in the Barn

I am participating in an HGTV BOM with stars (6.5 in) in the center of The Hole in the Barn blocks. I chose fabric that I picked up at last year's Coastal Shop Hop. I think they are coming out pretty good. Here are blocks for January, February, and March.

March Happenings

Wow! Where has the month gone. Finished the top for my Wash Tub Girls. Will post a pic when it is quilted.

I have taken on the challenge of the theme quilt at my guild. We are using the pattern "Bon Voyage" by Laundry Basket Quilts. We are creating this quilt in rounds over 6 months. The center is due this month. The pattern calls for applique but I chose to use two of Carol Doak's patterns from 50 Fabulous Paper-pieced Stars. I have a collection of golds, browns, and blacks that I decided to use for this scrappy quilt. Here is my center block.

Designing quilt for Wash Tub panel

I mentioned before that I have some friends that I quilt with once a week. We are currently working on a panel that I purchased several years ago (yes, I purchased several). There are two color ways in the panel, the blue and red which I am using and a purple and yellow which all the ladies wanted (but only two were given). The top is consisting of two blocks with the printed motif in the center. The first block is a pineapple block made with squares of fabric (very fun and easy) finishing 11" and the second block, Morning Star 2, finishing 12", I took from http://www.quilterscache.com/ I am using 4 kona solids: a yellow, dark blue, light blue, and a red and 8 - 30's prints. All of our blocks are to be finished by Friday the 18th when we will put the top together. I hope to share pictures of the top before the end of the month.

Charm Pack Tote

Wow, my days are flying by and I have not been posting my work. I finished a tote I started for my "artsy" sister and want to share the link. This is nice and large and will be perfect for her to carry her student's art homework back and forth to class. My sister is an instructor at FIDM. I made the bag with brights and geometrics to add color to her day. Hope she likes it!

Below is the link. The pattern is very well written.

http://buttonberry.typepad.com/photos/charm_pack_tote/charmtote_pattern_image_final.htm

Disappearing 4 patch

Have you tried the disappearing four patch yet. It is all in the cut and twist. Check it out.